We had a solid season last year, losing out to the Brewers for the division but we still made the playoffs. We met rival Cincinatti in the wild card round, and then advanced to meet JohnnyClutch and his Marlins. I have made the playoffs three times in the Dugout, and all 3 times have been knocked out by them. Outside of Milwaukee, they have quickly become my least favorite team. SP Vance Worley, 3B Pablo Morales, CL Seriozah Janovich, and CF Santiago Martinez were all named All-Stars. Martinez, would end up winning his 2nd straight GG in CF, and finished highly in MVP voting after leading the league in WAR at 8.3.

Casillas won at least 1 gold glove for the team, and Holmes came out of nowhere as a big lefty bat off the bench. Hitting double digit HR every season in Pittsburgh. Miller and Adams had down years. The biggest loss was 2B Brock Holt. But we really wanted to spend our money elsewhere, and his replacement in 2B Antonio Reyes needs as much playing time as possible, so it was time to move on. The fans hated the move, but it had to be done.

3. Roster additions

C Jesus Sucre, 2B Jed Gyorko, LF Christopher Hawkins

With the loss of Holmes we needed a backup Catcher, and Sucre was the best option available. Gyorko fills a need as he can play 1B Competently to give "Mad Dog" a rest. And finally, the big offseason aquisition from Toronto is Hawkins. We needed another power bat, and Hawkins immediately fills that role. I hated to give sonn another 1st round pick, but after the Brewers got Sana, and other douchebags got other FA outfielders, Hawkins was a necessity.

4. Offensive preview

We fully expect Santiago Martinez to compete for the MVP. A 30/30 season is not out of the question. "Mad Dog" continues to mature as a hitter and Reyes will be given full time ABs. We need a strong year out of Larry Brown as well. I really feel our lineup from top to bottom is one of the best in the league. We should be able to hold our own with anyone. You can't forget about Pablo Morales either. An OBP machine, with surprise pop, he can bat anywhere in the lineup and get production.

5. Pitching preview

It all hinges on "Wagon Tongue". If he stays healthy this year, he is a legitimate ace. We are limiting his innings, as well as Worley's with a strict order in the rotation. The bullpen is once again solid, and with Burnett, Janovich, Arauz, Medlin and Joba we feel we will end the season in the top 5 again. Last year we had the best pen in the Majors, and this year should be similar.

6. Rookie watch (rookies who have a legit shot at a major league debut this year)

If we get some injuries, OF Glen Montabatelli is probably going to see some time. He is a bit underdeveloped offensively, but his glove and pinch running ability will be a solid addition in a pinch.

Coming into 2021, the expectations for the Cardinals seemed to match exactly where we finished - 74 and 88 or below average. The main positive for last season was that we were finally able to shed the contracts of Logan Morrison ($20M), Alex Avila ($16M), Kyle Newman ($8M) and Carlos Sanchez ($13). This reduction in salary allowed us to add a few players in the offseason as well as almost guarantee a profitable 2022.

2. Roster loses:

Only one minor loss in 3B Cory Spangenberg. Other than that, we will have most of the team back. (not sure if this is a good thing?)

3. Roster additions:

After missing out on Sana (damn you, Smooth!), we decided to sign Japanese power hitter, Shozo Saikawa. Offensively, Saikawa will most likely bat 5th in our lineup. He has decent power and contact and should be able to hit 20-25 homeruns while driving in around 80. Probably not worth the contract he signed but competition in FA drove us to have to overpay a little. Next up is 2B Herb Townsley. With Busch Stadium being one of the worst hitters parks in the league, we are actively trying to acquire more players with good contact and a very good OB%. Herb definitely fits the mold of that type of hitter. He should fit nicely in the 2 hole. Finally, we signed Dennis Neuman to a 1 year deal. Neuman is by no means a star, but he should be a valuable arm our of the bullpen.

4. Offensive preview:

Last season, the Cardinals were one of the worst offensive teams in the league. This season, I think we can be more of a middle of the road offensive team. With OBP guys in Kubo and Townsley at the top of the order and finally some run producers in Garza, Long, Saikawa and Gomez in the middle of the lineup, I think we should see some really good improvement in this area.

5. Pitching preview:

After Eduardo Sanchez's stamina increased, we decided to finally put him in the starting rotation. There is no question that he has the stuff to be a solid starting pitcher if he can average around 6-7 innings per game. Next is the Independent league free agent we signed last season in Matt Long. After Long started 0-3 with an ERA around 10, he was able to finish the season 5-0 with an ERA around 3. We are hoping the latter is more the norm. The next two starters will be basically rookies in Don Brown (1st round pick from 2020) and Oliverio Sidotti (last season trade with Washington). Both of these young pitchers have decent potential and could eventually be consistent #2 or #3 starters. Obviously, there are many question marks about this unit but it is definitely an upgrade from last season.

6. Rookie watch (rookies who have a legit shot at a major league debut this year):

Terrible end to the year. I definitely still have a sour taste in my mouth. The Central is so solid and the luck factor to the wild card play in game makes it so important to win the division out right.

2. Roster loses

I left Aroldis Chapman walk and he signed a deal with the Brewers. Pretty big loss and he signed within the division - yuck. Billy Hamilton also became a FA.

3. Roster additions

SP Casey Kelley MR Namboku Endo were my biggest additions.

4. Offensive preview

My offense is led by RF Arthur Lawson. The biggest key will be keeping him healthy. Around him we have CF Jon Alexander and 3b Roberto Madrigial. 1-8 my lineup is pretty solid, and there are no real easy outs. I don't have a lot of power in the lineup but plenty of run producers.

5. Pitching preview

The rotation is led by Mark Appel and Zack Greinke. New addition Casey Kelley is a great guy to add the rotation as well. My bullpen is a strong bunch. I have what could be 4 closers on a lot of teams.

6. Rookie watch (rookies who have a legit shot at a major league debut this year)

Jon Alexander was a September call-up and I expect him to be in the running for ROY.

1. Last seasons final thoughts and review
I couldn't have been more pleased with our final run. A classic World Series and crazy playoff run made ownership and the fans delighted. Jorge Rivera won his 3rd relief man of the year award, Jason Parrish finished high in the MVP voting, and our starting staff is locked in for years to come.

3. Roster additions
SP Aroldis Chapman - plan to watch his innings for a run for the World Series title
OF/1B Shirai Sana - Nippon League superstar signed with the Brewers for a big contract. The world is watching him... Lets hope he performs to his abilities.

4. Offensive preview
Should be pretty solid. Parrish, Kevan Smith, James Croom, and Justin Upton all return. The front office is hoping Pierre comes back healthy from his torn back muscle at 3B and Eduardo Rice can build on last seasons performance. Fans and scouts are most excited about LF Jose Garcia's near 40/40 season last year. Garcia was our first 1st round draft pick, and despite his slower development, is showing signs of why the organization drafted him when they did. Sana will be the key though. If he can perform up to his ability, we hope to have an offense like our 2019 campaign.